Hairy Bikers salmon with chilli ginger sauce is baked salmon in a sticky marinade of stem ginger, soy, orange, and red chilli at 254 calories per serving, and it comes from The Hairy Dieters cookbook. The whole thing takes about 55 minutes including a 30-minute marinade.
Si and Dave say this sauce is “sticky and tangy,” and the clever part is that the marinade becomes the sauce because you reduce it in a pan while the fish bakes. Nothing gets wasted and the flavour concentrates into a glossy glaze.
The detail that makes the biggest difference is how you cut the ginger, since Si and Dave slice each ball into thin rounds then stack and cut into matchstick strips. Those strips soften into the sauce without dissolving, which gives you bits of ginger to eat rather than just flavour.
Hairy Bikers Salmon with Chilli Ginger Sauce Recipe
Description
Salmon fillets marinated in stem ginger syrup, dark soy, orange, and red chilli, then baked at 220°C while the marinade reduces into a sticky sauce. From Si and Dave’s Hairy Dieters at 254 calories, served with rice or new potatoes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut the ginger: Slice the ginger balls thinly on a board, then pile up the slices and cut through them to make thin matchstick strips. Put them in a bowl large enough to hold the salmon and add 2 tablespoons of the stem ginger syrup from the jar.
- Build the marinade: Peel the garlic cloves and slice them thinly, then add them to the bowl with the ginger. Stir in the soy sauce, orange zest, orange juice, and red chilli.
- Marinate the salmon: Put the salmon in the bowl with the marinade and season with lots of black pepper. Turn a couple of times, ending with the fish skin side up so the flesh absorbs the flavour. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Bake the salmon: Preheat the oven to 220°C (Fan 200°C, Gas 7) and line a small baking tray with parchment. Take the salmon out of the marinade, scraping off any bits, and place skin side down on the tray. Season with more pepper and bake for 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.
- Make the sauce: While the salmon bakes, pour the marinade into a small non-stick saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 6 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the garlic is soft. You want enough to pour over the salmon without swamping it.
- Serve: Put the salmon on warmed plates, carefully lifting off the skin as you go. Spoon the hot sauce over and serve with rice or new potatoes and steamed vegetables.
FAQs
Can I use fresh ginger instead of stem ginger?
Fresh ginger gives sharper heat, while stem ginger in syrup brings a sweeter warmth that balances the soy and chilli. If you only have fresh, grate about 20g finely and add a tablespoon of honey to replace the syrup, since the sweetness is what makes the sauce sticky.
How do I know when the salmon is done?
The flesh should flake easily when pressed with a fork and turn from translucent to opaque all the way through. Si and Dave say 12 to 15 minutes at 220°C, so check at 12 and give it longer if the centre still looks glassy.
Can I use a different fish?
Si and Dave note that salmon has more calories than white fish, so swapping to cod or sea bass brings the count down further. The sauce works with any firm fish, but white fish needs less time in the oven since it dries out faster.
Why does the salmon marinate skin side up?
The flesh sits in the marinade and absorbs the ginger, soy, and orange for 30 minutes, then it bakes skin side down so the skin protects the base from direct heat. Si and Dave peel it off when serving because it has done its job and the sauce looks better without it.
What else goes well with this sauce?
The chilli ginger combination works with prawns or chicken thighs if you want to swap the protein, and the Hairy Bikers chilli prawn pasta uses a similar chilli and citrus approach with linguine instead of rice.
